Matrix Effects in X-ray Fluorescence Holography: Samples of Arbitrary Thickness.

The influence of matrix effects i.e. beam attenuation (BA) and indirect excitation (IE) on local structure imaging with multiple-energy x-ray fluorescence holography is studied using computer simulations. An analytic formalism is developed which allows for the description of BA and IE when the thickness of the sample is arbitrary. It is shown that beyond the thin-sample approximation, in specific cases, the measured holograms cannot be treated as entirely element sensitive. Consequently, it is demonstrated that due to the reduction of element sensitivity, spurious maxima can arise in the holographic reconstruction which can be misinterpreted as atomic images. The proposed formalism allows one to analyse BA and IE and to correct for them. It opens way for quantitative interpretation of x-ray fluorescence holograms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]